The Femina one the article referenced was nice too. I don't see this one as a rip-off of that one.

sigh

in america?

sati was banned in india in 1829 and then repeatedly after that. ban include being casual observers to sati.

But coming from a place where two people can't kiss in a motion picture, it is clear that this commercial is skirting a social taboo.

Much like the recent Cheerios ad which, it turns out, I had seen many times already and it did not even strike me that there was anything one might consider noteworthy in it.

My understanding, from exposure to Indian media both from abroad and while visiting India, is that one tries to avoid upsetting certain sensibilities.

But then they do also still release "village reels" with those scenes removed. And like Lioness points out, this ad is for the rich urban people in the country.

its the very annoying censor board.

for reference read this nytimes article http://india.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/02/25/kissing-is-on-the-rise-in-india-but-not-because-of-bollywood-author-say/?_r=0

although in general standard of public affection differ cross culturally

I don't know how far I might be behind, but the most recent titles I've watched were Dhoom and What's Your Rashnee? And, I have to say there were some very steamy romantic numbers, punctuated by a quick turn of heads in opposite directions every time two sets of lips began approaching each other.

I must be watching the wrong stuff, but my only source of information was my office mate from Pune some years ago.

im just curious- how did you come across those movies? actually this Christmas Dhoom 3 is coming out lol

I got started when I shared an office with a grad student from Pune who told me about "these dreadfully silly romantic musicals".

I used to watch them largely for the comic value of the choreography, but got sucked in by really good plots, betrayed at times by fractured subtitles.

But you know that opening number of Dhoom? They practically have full on sex while painting the house, but their lips do not touch.

I'm looking forward to that.

as in they cant believe that this ad was released in india.

from my friends in india, i have not seen such surprise or shock

and these ads are def for urban india, so i dont particularly find it that surprising.

i am more surprised that she is dark than the issue or re-marriage. although overall i love the add. i just dont get why people are so shocked that this is coming out of india.


when was the last time you saw an american/wester ad for an expensive jewelry company featuring non-traditional beauty or relationships?

But then Bengalis love to sit around and engage in media criticism...

when both my brother and i were in our teens

Though maybe they only noticed it because they're planning our ceremony next month. The jetus and kakus (and my God there are a lot of those...) haven't mentioned anything.

bengali weddings are dry which is why i cant handle it for more than an hour . an hour of relatives + no alcohol = super boring

Thanks! IIRC we're doing the ceremony dry but quickly moving on to dinner, which isn't. And since we're already married a lot of the traditional stuff doesn't really make any sense at this point (and we're doing the bhat after the new year anyways).

And her bling for it is amazing (it was her grandmother's)

... ended up with two or three different ceremonies between religion, culture, and US law.

Wish I could be a fly on the wall at your Big Fat Bengali Wedding. How many relatives, and how many days are going to be devoted to this?

Blessings and all happiness, Recursion.

It's a "small" wedding; 300 people or so

And we're doing the short version ("T20, not a test match," my uncle helpfully says for any cricket fans); one day of a ceremony and then later one day of a reception (that may be the one with 300 people now that I think of it; I'm kind of letting them handle this). The full on Bengali wedding lasts 7 days, but that way lies madness.

A lot of people in India were saying "that's awesome" but then the uncomfortable point kept being made that Davuluri's skin was too dark for her to have won a pageant in India.

this division be the "Zales" of India? Making sure they wring more money out of a burgeoning middle-class?

Beautiful stuff though.

i am not sure that this impacts consumerism in india one bit.

however a plethora of other products has made india a very consumerist society overall

Thinking of the ad, and to whom it may be directed, I would assume there is a tradition about who buys the bridal jewelry.

One of the things I will always keep with me is the bridal street in Chadni Chowk in Delhi, where sellers and families would discuss every detail of the most out-of-this-world silks and jewels.

The other thing that catches my eye is that the jeweler is apparently a Tata company which makes me wonder about whether the traditional merchants are impacted by a national brand, or whether they are advertising to a narrow class of consumers.

There's also a bracelet of unfortunate symbolic provenance that the groom's family is supposed to buy for the bride.

just like bengalis dont wear a mangal sutra traditionally

as gold is a form of security.

tanishq has existed for quite a while as part of this titan/tata brand and its market is def urban upper class

and yes, it is a niche market, but with over a billion people a niche market in india, is usually larger than most markets anywhere else

While "who pays for what" has traditional rules everywhere, and of course anyone's money will buy whatever is for sale, would you expect the target audience of the ad to be primarily the bride's family?

I mean, sure, couples do all kinds of things about engagement rings, but the ads are directed to (a) establishing brand awareness in brides to be, and (b) justifying the expense to the guy who is most likely dreading a poor choice. So, there are plenty of couples who shop for them together.

But my understanding is that bridal jewelry is no small matter.

also the tanishq brand is not meant for people who see gold as security, but for those who see jewelry as decorative/status symbols.


why would the guy be dreading a poor choice? (i didnt understand that)

And as we approach the holiday season, men will be reminded as they are annually that failing to choose the correct piece and brand of jewelry will reflect poorly on their affections.

I can't remember which diamond outfit used to run these long explanatory ads about why two months' pay was the appropriate amount to spend on an engagement ring and why, if one did not, she will only consider you to be a loser who has caused her horrible embarrassment.

I'll have to look that one up. It's been a long time since I was in the engagement and bridal jewelry market. These days I'm more inclined to toss her a box of Cracker Jacks and say, "Maybe you'll get lucky and find a ring in there."

Thanks for the thread, Recursion.

Nonsense. It's a beautiful advertisement.

There's a lot of (positive) interest among (many) Indians at this ad and what it means for media in India.

That's why I commented.

impressive.

I was bracing myself for the little girl to be the bride.

some places are like NYC, others are like Alabama.

People have different viewpoints on different issues.